Have you thought your child has dark circles for the longest time? Well, these actually may not be what we know as dark circles. That’s right. Not all bags are created equal. Your kid’s baggy, puffy under-eye circles may not be just from tiredness. In fact, it is a common misconception that all dark circles are from lack of sleep. They could be something we pediatricians call ALLERGIC SHINERS. Yes, that’s a real thing – we didn’t make that up.

Allergic shiners are dark shadows or bluish discolorations under the eyes. These dark under-eye bags were NOT caused by:

• Your kid getting hit near the eye

• Tiredness

• Pulling all-nighters/lack of sleep

• Dehydration

• Iron Deficiency

 What causes allergic shiners? These “black eyes” are found in people with allergic rhinitis, a condition where certain inhaled allergens, like pollen, dust, or dander, irritate the lining of the nasal cavity and sinuses and cause:

• Sneezing

• Congestion

• Runny nose

• Itchy throat

• Watery, red, itchy eyes

These symptoms usually persist as long as the allergen is present (weeks, typically), and recur often. There is no associated body aches or fever. This duration and constellation of symptoms is how you can differentiate them from a common cold or flu.

The nasal and sinus congestion can cause swelling of the face and sinuses, which makes it hard for blood to drain from the face, and engorges small veins under your eyes due to the buildup of blood in the delicate lower eyelid area (or as us fancy doctors would say, the lower orbitopalpebral grooves). This build up shows up through the thin skin as a bluish-purply discoloration.

If your child gets allergies AND has black eyes, you can safely assume these are allergic shiners! The more severe their allergies are, the more discoloration/shadows they can have. Sometimes, because kids tend to get more allergy symptoms in the spring/summer, this might be when you notice the dark circles.

Are they harmful? No. Generally, they are nothing to worry about, either! If your child also has persistent/severe allergies, ask your pediatrician if they recommend allergy testing. If your child also has green nasal discharge, fever, or eye pain, this might be an infection and you should contact your pediatrician.

Is there a treatment? First, since they are a result from allergic rhinitis, a way to help is to treat the allergies. Talk to your pediatrician about your child’s allergies to see if they should talk to an allergy specialist or be put on some medications that ease the annoying symptoms of runny nose, watery eyes, and sneezing. Often, controlling the allergies helps reduce allergic shiners as well! Additionally, you can also try a gentle, cold compress under the eyes.

It is so easy to assume as adults, that dark circles are causes by lack of sleep, as that’s why we tend to get them. Parents DEFINITELY are accustomed to waking up and seeing their dark circles every morning as they tackle a new day of parenting. Us doctors are also very familiar with dark circles. Our interns, current medical students, spot them on every ZOOM meeting we have. But, in children, it can be a totally different reason as to why they develop dark circles. We hope this eases your concerns on why your child is getting dark circles.

As always, follow us @thepedipals, tune into our podcast, and let us know how we’re doing! Here’s to happy, healthy, and well-balanced children!

Your PediPals